By Ben Romans

Well, for all of you that have mastered the previous patterns, I humbly submit the elk hair caddis—probably the most difficult fly pattern posted on Generation Wild.

This pattern combines some skills already taught like dubbing and palmering hackle, but I’m throwing a new one in the playbook—tying in hair wings. For this trick you need a hair stacker, it’s a simple and inexpensive  tool used to align hair tips so the end of the wing is even. Many other fly patterns require this tool. So if you plan to tie more patterns in the future, a hair stacker is not a bad investment.

Other than that, use a dry fly hook like a No. 12-18 Tiemco 100, some small hackle, elk hair, and your choice of dubbing to finish this fly (I like “earthy” colors like tan, light olive, and a light brown). After a few practice ties, you should start to get the hang of it, but post any questions or comments in the field below, and I’ll respond as quickly as possible.

Well, that’s the last of our winter fly-tying tutorial. I hope you were able to learn a few things and are able to stock up your boxes before spring arrives. Good luck! —Ben